Friday, October 21, 2016

The day after the 2012 presidential election, I wrote a blog post titled Think Purple in which I made the point that although we're a nation clearly and sharply divided, it's important to keep our sights on the commonalities we can find, the things that unite us and define us as Americans. As the 2016 election nears, the debates are finally behind us, and so many of us find our inboxes and Facebook feeds littered with political commentary and propaganda, I want to take this opportunity to remind everyone that no matter who gets sworn in come January, America remains Positively Purple.

Tune in to just about any news outlet or social media, and it's clear that a great many Americans aren't particularly fond of either major candidate. There's so much talk about character, judgment, values. About fitness for the office, trustworthiness, likability. There's talk of a broken political system, of media influence, of an election process that cannot be trusted.

Even if you try to look purely at the issues, there are a million articles and stories out there about obstructionism and failed policies and overreach. There are a billion more articles and stories about problems with health care, immigration, taxes, foreign policy, and whatever else. Lots of people who love to talk are busy talking about everything wrong with America and our place in the world, our leadership, our candidates, and even our electorate.

I pay attention to politics, but I don't live it and breathe it every moment (I'm too busy with law work, raising children, making music, volunteering, and trying to sew a few things). I've watched a lot of debates, followed campaigns, read a lot of analysis. I've found my attention fine-tuned to some statewide elections, one of which could very well change the course of my career. While I enjoy the intrigue of political strategy and the excitement of an unpredictable election cycle, I'm tired of the pervasive suggestion that America's divide is too deep and wide, America's differences too stark and sharp, to ever heal.

While candidates and commentators are fixated on shades of red and shades and blue, I'm choosing to focus on Purple. In workplaces, churches, schools, cafes and shops, I see people who are working hard to make good lives for themselves and their loved ones. While television, radio, and Internet are overrun with talk of government dysfunction and an angry electorate, I see people smiling at babies, helping others, and out enjoying life. While our system relies on red and blue, and on strong convictions among our citizens, I think that what we all need right now is more of the good stuff that comes from red and blue mixing -- Purple. After all, it's not the red and blue that define us as Americans. Purple does.

What is Purple? It's the willingness, even the desire, to come together. It's our shared optimism and hope that, despite America's shortcomings, better days are ahead. It's the belief that, regardless of who wins the election, our nation will survive and, ultimately, thrive. It's the desire to help fellow Americans, humans even, who are suffering. It's the drive to do and be better, individually and collectively. It's respect for hard work, ingenuity, and inspiration. It's passion for ideas and process. It's respectful discussion and respectful disagreement. It's working together, finding common ground and mutual interests. It's helping hands and neighborly hearts. It's the celebration of progress and achievement. It's accepting and celebrating differences among us, secure in the knowledge that we all share important fundamentals. These are the things that make America work, and we must not lose sight of them.

I invite you to join me in looking for Positive Purple. Look for the fundamentals that we all share, our common values, the things we can all agree on. Look for Purple, and I promise you will find it.

You'll find Purple in all our nation's respect for red, white, and blue, for the flag that reminds us that we live in a great democracy, where citizens have the right to participate in our political process and cast a vote for our leaders.

You'll find Purple when you see people pushing themselves outside their comfort zones, trying something new, taking on life's challenges with energy and enthusiasm.

You'll find Purple in generations coming together, in traditions passed down through families and cultures, in being lifelong teachers and students.

You'll find Purple in America's volunteers and philanthropists, who are giving their time and money to help others. And nowhere is Purple more obvious that in America's youngest volunteers who learn the importance of community and giving back, from their earliest days.

You'll find Purple in a sunset that takes your breath away and, for one brief moment, has you thinking of nothing but how good it is to be alive.

You'll find Purple in people's commitment and determination to learn new skills, to expand their capabilities.

You'll find Purple in America's families, in the power of love, acceptance, and forgiveness that binds us.

You'll find Purple in parents who are juggling many obligations and making many sacrifices to give their children every opportunity possible.

You'll find Purple in the promise of new life and the innocent joy of babies.

You'll find Purple in the real-life superheroes who inspire you, the people who are out there finding solutions, taking risks, making the world a better place for all of us.

You'll find Purple in the teachers who spark our children's imaginations and fuel their desire to learn, and in the young people who are so eagerly and diligently learning to be tomorrow's leaders.

You'll find Purple in silliness, in laughter, in the things that make us smile.

You'll find Purple in the appreciation for natural resources around us, the beautiful oceans, forests, mountains, deserts that make America so grand.

You'll find Purple in the soul-stirring power of music and the arts, in how our communities embrace the arts, in the artists who share their talents with us.

You'll find Purple in positive news stories that deliver messages of hope and encouragement (have you heard that giant pandas are no longer on the endangered species list?!).

You'll find Purple in toughness and grit, in perseverance and resilience.

And this is only the beginning. Purple is all around us. I encourage you to tune into it.

Allow it to lift you up, to help you see past political conflict, divisive labels, polarizing rhetoric. Set an example for our leaders who sometimes seem incapable of seeing Purple; show them that red and blue do indeed mix and that we are all better off when they do. Let our common ground and shared love for this great country guide us. Let's build the Purple Mountain Majesties and show our leaders, and the world, what it means to be America the Beautiful.